Today we will look at four criteria according to which we can personalize our emails. Take note!
1 – Personalization based on user declarative data
Before we get into the subject, let's make a note accounting directors email lists about what declarative data is so that we can understand how we can personalize emails based on it. This data is derived from the information that a user declares when they leave us their email at the time of registration: name, age, sex, interests and preferences, etc.
This type of information is often used to segment email campaigns, but it can also be used to personalize them. Here are some examples:
Name
If we ask the user for their name at the time of registration, we can personalize the emails with it, either in the subject, preheader or copy. When we personalize campaigns with the “name” field, we are taking a step towards getting much closer to the subscriber, humanizing them and creating a close bond between the brand. It is a way of giving greater prominence to the user and letting them see that this email is addressed “exclusively” to them. Here you can see examples of how these 3 companies use the subscriber’s name in the subject and how Logitravel uses it in the preheader.
Age
It will all depend on whether the products or services we market can meet the interests of different age groups. This would be applicable in the fashion and cosmetics sector. For example, if our clothing brand has different collections, we can determine whether any of them are more suited to a certain age group and design specific campaigns with the collection or garments.
In the cosmetics field, the needs of different audiences are not the same. It would make no sense to send an email with anti-aging products to a 20-year-old, right? This is where the importance of personalizing campaigns based on the needs of each subscriber comes from, in this case, taking into account the product line and the subscriber's age.
Sex
There is a clear tendency to segment campaigns by gender, as long as the product/service being marketed is not unisex. Normally, for the term gender, we tend to use the concept of segmentation more. But if we think about it, isn't segmentation a way of personalizing? If your product allows it, design different campaigns for each gender so that they better adapt to their interests and to what they really need and find useful.
User interests/characteristics
Returning to the example of the fashion and cosmetics sector, there are different ways to personalise campaigns in an original way with this type of data. We can personalise the email based on the size of the subscriber, leaving out those garments that are not available in their size or, for example, if at the time of registration we ask them about the style of clothing they tend to wear, we can personalise the email with garments with a more urban, more formal or classic touch. This is also applicable to the cosmetics field; if the user has indicated what their skin type is like (dry, mixed, oily), we can personalise the campaigns with a line of adapted products or directly specific products.
2- Personalization based on the transactions carried out
Depending on the transactions that the user has made, we can recommend products that are of interest to them. This is where cross-selling comes into play, which would allow us to recommend a complementary product to the one they have already purchased or one of the same style.
For example, if the customer has recently bought a shirt, we can design a campaign showing a matching blazer or directly show them items to achieve a total look. Another example, if the user has bought a facial cream for oily skin, we can send them an email showing them more products from the same collection. There are many possibilities! Here is a great example from Bershka that, if you want, you can see analyzed here .
3- Personalization based on e-commerce behavior
As the title indicates, this criterion focuses on using the behavioural information of users in e-commerce to personalise our email marketing. To do this, we will take into account data such as, for example, visits to specific products/services, recurring visits to a specific category or product line, products saved in their wishlist or added to the cart but not purchased, etc. If we store all this information and use it correctly, we can create emails as creative as this one from Zalando. Where, in addition to using behavioural data from the user, they also take into account transactional data.
4- Depending on the phase of the life cycle in which it is found
On previous occasions we have talked about the user life cycle applied to email marketing and the different phases that comprise it. In this case, we must identify very well what needs the users in each phase may have and define what we want to achieve in terms of objectives with each group. Do we want them to open the emails? Do we want them to interact with them as well as open them? Do we want them to make a first purchase? Or for example, do we want them to buy again after not doing so for a long period of time?
Whatever the objectives, once we have defined them, we can start developing specific emails for each phase. Reactivation emails , for example, are an example of this. They are directed only to those inactive users who are in this phase. Here you can see an example from Reebok .
We can also create a personalized campaign for those VIP users who are in the retention phase with a discount or special offer or incentivize new subscribers with a discount on their first purchase. Here are two examples: one of a personalized email for users in the acquisition phase ( Hofmann ) and another for those in the retention phase ( Baublebar ).
It is not necessary to apply the 4 criteria that we have seen in all their variations, but to identify which of them and its modalities best fit our company and email marketing strategy and start thinking about its implementation. And you, which of the 4 criteria do you use the most? Which do you think is most effective? If you had to start implementing one of them, which would you choose?
